‘We’ve been left to die’: Afghan doctor who campaigned against Taliban fears execution


Sarwat Nasir
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An Afghan doctor in Kabul who spoke out against the Taliban during a parliamentary election campaign said he fears the insurgents will kill him if he is found.

Dr Sayed Jalil, owner of the Al Sayed Hospital in Macroryan in Kabul, tried to go to the airport to escape.

But with commercial flights suspended, vast crowds of people have gathered in hope of a seat on an evacuation flight with the Taliban back in control.

Dr Jalil, 41, ran for parliamentary elections in Kabul in 2018, when he often spoke out against the Taliban.

His parents and sister worked for the United Nations and he said they are also in danger if they are found. The hospital he founded six years ago has closed and Dr Jalil said the equipment had been seized by the Taliban.

Dr Sayed Jalil (C) speaking in Kabul during one of his parliamentary election campaigns. Courtesy Dr Sayed Jalil
Dr Sayed Jalil (C) speaking in Kabul during one of his parliamentary election campaigns. Courtesy Dr Sayed Jalil

“I know that if the Taliban find me or my family, they are going to kill us,” he told The National.

“I’ve had to change my appearance as much as I can, so no one recognises me. I’ve been hiding for days. My sister and parents have fled to a village and some of our relatives are helping them hide. I don't have water or food with me. I'm scared to go outside.

“I don’t even know if my wife and children are alive. I haven’t been able to get in touch with them for days. But in my heart I know they are alive and well.

“Our family did a lot of social work and we thought the UN or some humanitarian agency would help us escape but we’ve been left here to die.”

The Taliban have taken over the country sparking chaotic scenes in Kabul as people tried to board planes.

During their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, strict laws were in place that forced women to stay home, girls were not allowed to go to school, men had to grow beards and music and dancing was not permitted.

“The Taliban are searching for people who spoke out against them and worked with foreign governments. A lot of us are not safe here any more and we are going to hide until there is a way out of the country,” Dr Jalil said.

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

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Saturday

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Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric

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On sale: Q3 2022 

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions

There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.

1 Going Dark

A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.

2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers

A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.

3. Fake Destinations

Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.

4. Rebranded Barrels

Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.

* Bloomberg

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Movie: Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster 3

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Europe's top EV producers
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Source: VCOe 

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Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

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Rating: 3.5/5

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Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

Match info

Uefa Champions League Group C

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RESULT

Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1 
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Esperance: Belaili 38’
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Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo

Series information

Pakistan v Dubai

First Test, Dubai International Stadium

Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11

Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20          

 Play starts at 10am each day

 

Teams

 Pakistan

1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza

 Australia

1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland

Results
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Updated: August 17, 2021, 3:42 AM